LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A hiker who was attacked by a black bear in eastern Kentucky said he was about to stab the animal in the eye with his pocket knife when another hiker threw a day pack at the bear and distracted it.
"The bear had a really good chunk of my leg in his mouth and was shaking me," Tim Scott told The Associated Press on Monday, after receiving 50-60 stitches and being released from a hospital.
"He was trying to subdue me, and he was focused on nothing but doing that."
The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources says the incident Sunday was the first recorded bear attack on a person in the state.
Wildlife Division Director Karen Waldrop said the agency's policy is to kill any bear that behaves aggressively toward humans, and officials have closed the popular scenic area inside the Daniel Boone National Forest and set traps to try to capture the animal.

Scott, 56, of Springfield, was hiking in the Red River Gorge Geological Area ahead of his wife and son on Sunday when he spotted the bear about 25 feet away. He said it appeared to be about 150 pounds and he took a few photos with his cell phone until the bear disappeared under a ledge. Scott said he was about to call his wife to tell her to take another trail when the bear reappeared.
Scott said he yelled and dropped his belt bag hoping to distract the animal. But the bear sniffed it and continued approaching Scott, who grabbed a rotted branch.
Alone, Scott hit the bear with the flimsy branch, but the animal kept coming.
"It was literally disintegrating as I was retreating," Scott said, describing his encounter in matter-of-fact terms.
Eventually, the bear "lunged forward and grabbed me a bit but let go."
Scott tried to move behind a tree for protection a couple of times, but he said the bear grabbed him by the leg and threw him into the woods. Then, it sank its teeth into his thigh and shook him.
Scott said he tried to think of ways to fight the bear off, reaching into his pocket and finding his 3-inch pocket knife.
He was preparing to stab the bear in the eye, not sure what the animal's reaction might be, when a group of hikers who heard the commotion arrived.
One of them took his day pack and threw it at the bear, knocking the animal sideways, and prompting it to release Scott.
Scott said he crawled over to the other hikers and the group backed down the path for a quarter mile, with the bear following them.
An ambulance met the group at the trail head and took Scott to a nearby hospital, where he was treated and transferred to University of Kentucky Hospital.
Early Monday morning, 12 hours after his hike first started, Scott was released from the hospital.
"I'm a little stiff but supposedly I'll be totally cleared up in about six weeks," he said.
Black bears, which were common in Kentucky more than 100 years ago, disappeared due to over-hunting and loss of habitat. Over the past 20 years, they have found their way back from neighboring states such as Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.
Scott, an avid hiker who has a property management company in Lexington, said he supports efforts to repopulate the woods with the animals, and he doesn't want people to think all bears are bad.
"This was a private incident between me and a bear," he said.
"I was chomped on by a bear, and he was a bad bear, but that doesn't speak of all bears."

Just to be Mr. Obvious, I think a gun might have come in pretty handy. They've got the Red River Gorge area shut down right now, attempting to trap the bear. I know that a couple of counties in Eastern KY had a 2-day bear season back in December. It was the first one in many years. I've hunted in Eastern KY for quite a few years, and only once did I ever see evidence of a bear. Thankfully I've never seen one in real life.

jhayesvw

06-29-2010, 21:07

yeah. at close range, even a 9mm +p would probably have taken care of that bear. if the guy was ready to stab the bear, im sure he could have shot him in the head, thus ending the attack right there and saving anyone else from looking for it later.

always carry when you hike, just in case. (im not saying to shoot first and ask questions later, but if youre obviously being bitten, shoot it.)

noway

06-29-2010, 21:40

ddi any body catch this part;

Scott, 56, of Springfield, was hiking in the Red River Gorge Geological Area ahead of his wife and son on Sunday when he spotted the bear about 25 feet away. He said it appeared to be about 150 pounds and he took a few photos with his cell phone until the bear disappeared under a ledge. Scott said he was about to call his wife to tell her to take another trail when the bear reappeared.

Some how I don't blame the bear for doing it's part as a APEX hunter. I bet he won't be stopping to take a picture of mother nature for awhile.

this storys remind of the fools down here that stops to take a photo and pet our water lizards ( alligators ) and then become gator snacks and the 1st to holler I was attack :rofl:

if the guy was ready to stab the bear, im sure he could have shot him in the head, thus ending the attack right there and saving anyone else from looking for it later.

and if the guy would have used some common sense and took some prudent action, he could have avoided the "attack". As far as we know, that was momma bear and she felt threaten by this 2 legged upright predator.

I'm betting there's more to story than want your reading.

vafish

06-30-2010, 10:10

150 lbs is a fairly small bear. Probably not a momma bear with cubs.

noway

06-30-2010, 11:53

150 lbs is a fairly small bear. Probably not a momma bear with cubs.

down here that would be a typical size for a FLA Black Bear.

You notice how the mom and son where ot attacked in all of this :tongueout:

Also you have to read the following developments and then get a real picture of what's going on. Ans as far as no provoaction, following the bear and having a dog, the bear could see the 2 as predators or threaten.

I got 2 healer mixes (AKA Australian Cattle Dog) and they don't back down from any animal. They will chase and herd anything. When my female was 4 months old she got kicked by a horse. She picked herself up and went right back after him.

I also participate on an Australian Cattle Dog forum and there have been a couple of instances of ACD's herding bears (and moose) back towards their owners.

I'm sure we aren't getting the whole story from the press.

vafish

07-01-2010, 06:54

The more I read of that article the more I find wrong with it.

He says he was standing on the ledge with his dog and the bear appeared behind them standing on the trail. But the bear in the photo is below the ledge and doesn't appear to be on the trail.

Stuff just doesn't add up to me.

noway

07-01-2010, 20:34

Story sounds kind of weird I'm not sure what to think of it.

Most predatory bears come charging in for the kill from what I have read. This sure doesn't sound like a predatory bear.

Also this part bothers me:

I got 2 healer mixes (AKA Australian Cattle Dog) and they don't back down from any animal. They will chase and herd anything. When my female was 4 months old she got kicked by a horse. She picked herself up and went right back after him.

I also participate on an Australian Cattle Dog forum and there have been a couple of instances of ACD's herding bears (and moose) back towards their owners.

I'm sure we aren't getting the whole story from the press.

bingo

I would also suspect a dog any dog unless a Dingo would be barking it's ass off. I bet more of this story is missing and this attack could be human playing the role of the curious bear ;)

Glock1911

07-03-2010, 11:21

[QUOTE=vafish;15565625]Story sounds kind of weird I'm not sure what to think of it.

Most predatory bears come charging in for the kill from what I have read. This sure doesn't sound like a predatory bear.[QUOTE=vafish;15565625]

Unlike brown bear/grizzly, black bear are known to stalk/sneak up on their prey. So, an out and out charge, while still quite possible, is not always their modus operandi.

vafish

07-03-2010, 19:53

Unlike brown bear/grizzly, black bear are known to stalk/sneak up on their prey. So, an out and out charge, while still quite possible, is not always their modus operandi.

OK, but by the description in the article the bear didn't sound like it was trying to sneak up on him or stalk him it just slowly walked up the trail towards him.

Just sounds very weird. Maybe the story is poorly written, maybe the guy is lying about what really happened, maybe the bear is sick or injured, or maybe it's just more proof that we can't predict what wild animals will do.

Bren

07-05-2010, 08:24

This seems like a case of one of the standard yankee hippies that infests red river gorge doing something to provoke a bear, then whining about it. Now they are trying to locate and kill the bear, because nobody will follow the common sense option of killing the hippie hikers.

Went up that way yesterday and saw more of those little scumbags than I could stand.

Ak.Hiker

07-05-2010, 15:18

ddi any body catch this part;

Some how I don't blame the bear for doing it's part as a APEX hunter. I bet he won't be stopping to take a picture of mother nature for awhile.

this storys remind of the fools down here that stops to take a photo and pet our water lizards ( alligators ) and then become gator snacks and the 1st to holler I was attack :rofl:

and if the guy would have used some common sense and took some prudent action, he could have avoided the "attack". As far as we know, that was momma bear and she felt threaten by this 2 legged upright predator.

I'm betting there's more to story than want your reading.

So when a Florida gator snacks on a tourist do you think they tell their pals that tourists taste like chicken?

Ak.Hiker

07-05-2010, 15:36

I never have been able to understand why some hikers are not armed when they are in the field. S&W makes a nice little 11 oz. .22 Kit Gun that would sure be better than no gun at all. If you are not a gun person at least carry a folding combat type knife or better yet a good sheath knife or both. Bear spray is pretty easy to purchase as well. How many times have you read about a hiker trying to save his bacon with a stick or with rocks? As far as a 9mm goes I know for a fact that the 115 grain Fiocchi FMJ will shoot through 7 to 8 inches of spruce wood. I would think a load like this would go right on through a black bears skull. When we first moved to AK. from D.C. in 1965 my father started taking us on hikes. When my fathers boss found out he sat my father down and suggested he buy a gun to take on our hikes. Back then it was pretty hard to find a 44 Magnum in our area so he ended up with a 6 inch Colt Python 357 Magnum and a 300 Weatherby Magnum. I still have one of his Pythons and the German made Weatherby.

noway

07-05-2010, 16:50

So when a Florida gator snacks on a tourist do you think they tell their pals that tourists taste like chicken?

Will you are what you eat, I guess.

I do wonder if gator,bear,tiger or any other apex hunters that eat us, says "man I would love to get some human tonight , you know top prime cuts of human is 5 stars and better than 'insert any other of there prey here ' " :wavey:

noway

07-05-2010, 16:56

I never have been able to understand why some hikers are not armed when they are in the field. S&W makes a nice little 11 oz. .22 Kit Gun that would sure be better than no gun at all. If you are not a gun person at least carry a folding combat type knife or better yet a good sheath knife or both. Bear spray is pretty easy to purchase as well. How many times have you read about a hiker trying to save his bacon with a stick or with rocks? As far as a 9mm goes I know for a fact that the 115 grain Fiocchi FMJ will shoot through 7 to 8 inches of spruce wood. I would think a load like this would go right on through a black bears skull. When we first moved to AK. from D.C. in 1965 my father started taking us on hikes. When my fathers boss found out he sat my father down and suggested he buy a gun to take on our hikes. Back then it was pretty hard to find a 44 Magnum in our area so he ended up with a 6 inch Colt Python 357 Magnum and a 300 Weatherby Magnum. I still have one of his Pythons and the German made Weatherby.

Maybe they have laws in this area, preventing carry or firearms

The story did say this was the "1st" black bear attack.

So with that said, Same holds true in FLA, ( nothing on the books as of yet of any bear attacks of fatalities from a bear). So if I was hiking like what I've done many times over, in let's say Ocala National Forest which is home for a lot of FLA bears, I would not be to concern or alarm to worry about carry a firearms and being attacked by Smokie the Bear.

Things are much different here in FLA and what I persume Arkansas vrs let's say Alaska.

Common sense, being alert and making noise is pretty much all I need to stay alive in my wilderness, things would be different on a BIGGER scale in AK.

. BTW, last time I was in Ocala NF, I rode ATV in the authorized areas and had a blast. No gun either but I highly doubt any Bear would have stray into the area of the ATV due to the noise of humans and ATVs.

duncan

07-12-2010, 16:54

Reminder to respect wildlife FROM A DISTANCE.

GeorgiaGlockMan

07-25-2010, 18:19

From my limited experiece in the wild with bears, even a momma with cubs will try to run first if that is an option.

Of course I never tried to follow or antagonize a bear so no telling what would happen in that case. Whenever I see bear tracks on the ground, climbing marks in the aspen trees and can smell them, I exercise extreme caution and would prefer to elk hunt somewhere else.

Once when bowhunting CO, we found a fresh set of bear tracks going down a ridge back that we descended earlier in the day (the big bear came down following our tracks exactly for at least a quarter of a mile).

Only a few hours had passed and that freaked me out more than about anything when I figured out the bear was following our steps exactly. I was in a situation to defend myself very well compared to mr KY hiker, but knew to keep moving.

No-Way, maybe the hippies taste better than chicken.

Ak.Hiker

07-25-2010, 18:30

One thing about hippies is they come well seasoned.

rfb45colt

08-15-2010, 08:51

Some city "yuppies" go hiking in Glacier Nat'l Park. They contract an outfitter to set them up with the proper equipment. After they've got their packs on and are ready to leave, the outfitter comes over and hands each a can of pepper spray, and pins a little jingle bell on each hikers chest.

The leader of the group says to the outfitter, "We know what the pepper is for, but what's will the bells?"

"To scare off the bears" , was the reply.

And then the outfitter says "If you come across any bear droppings in the trail... if it's black bear poop, just keep going but be aware. If it's grizzly poop, turn around immediately, go back, and find another route."

"So how do we tell the differance between the bear poops?"

"Black bear poop has lots of berry seeds in it.... grizzly poop smells like pepper and is sprinkled with little jingle bells".

rfb45colt

08-15-2010, 09:05

From my limited experiece in the wild with bears, even a momma with cubs will try to run first if that is an option.

She will not run until her cubs have safely escaped the possible danger. If you find yourself between her and her cubs, you could be in trouble.

I'm currently baiting bears in a national forest, for a buddy who has a tag to shoot one this fall. I've encountered a bear, face to face, 3 times in past two weeks. The biggest (400lbs+) turned and ran when I blew an air-horn at him. I encountered a sow and her cubs, and she stood her ground (even stood on her hind legs and "huffed" at me). As soon as her cubs got out of sight, she ran after them. The 3rd encounter was the scary one. A small bear, about 150-175 lbs which we've nicknamed "psycho" because of his odd behavior that came toward me, instead of running off (we've got over 500 videos - 20 seconds ea - from trail cameras, of 10 differant bears, since July 15th). He had no fear of me at all, and got within 20yds when I hit him with a stale chocolate donut, that he stopped to eat. I threw him a few more and backed out. Two more steps toward me and he'd have been introduced to Mr. Dan Wesson .44 magnum, which was in my other hand. :whistling:

noway

08-17-2010, 09:23

She will not run until her cubs have safely escaped the possible danger. If you find yourself between her and her cubs, you could be in trouble.

I'm currently baiting bears in a national forest, for a buddy who has a tag to shoot one this fall. I've encountered a bear, face to face, 3 times in past two weeks. The biggest (400lbs+) turned and ran when I blew an air-horn at him. I encountered a sow and her cubs, and she stood her ground (even stood on her hind legs and "huffed" at me). As soon as her cubs got out of sight, she ran after them. The 3rd encounter was the scary one. A small bear, about 150-175 lbs which we've nicknamed "psycho" because of his odd behavior that came toward me, instead of running off (we've got over 500 videos - 20 seconds ea - from trail cameras, of 10 differant bears, since July 15th). He had no fear of me at all, and got within 20yds when I hit him with a stale chocolate donut, that he stopped to eat. I threw him a few more and backed out. Two more steps toward me and he'd have been introduced to Mr. Dan Wesson .44 magnum, which was in my other hand. :whistling:

could he be pyscho from people feeding him? typically you never want to feed an animal and become associated with food. They will loose the wildness in them.

We had a gator down the way that did the same and this Alligator Alley gator has been feed by the numerous fisherman and tourist traveling the roadway.

Most wild gators, would run at the sound of a human, feed gators are the opposite, no fear, curious and expecting.

just bring out a point.

Beeman

08-21-2010, 21:22

This seems like a case of one of the standard yankee hippies that infests red river gorge doing something to provoke a bear, then whining about it. Now they are trying to locate and kill the bear, because nobody will follow the common sense option of killing the hippie hikers.

Went up that way yesterday and saw more of those little scumbags than I could stand.

No shortage of stupid people up here. My aunt lives in WV, and the're having bear issues because of the transplants retiring from other states and moving there and then feeding the bears. Those same people then complain when the bears break into their houses.

Ak.Hiker

08-21-2010, 23:09

No shortage of stupid people up here. My aunt lives in WV, and the're having bear issues because of the transplants retiring from other states and moving there and then feeding the bears. Those same people then complain when the bears break into their houses.

Lots of the same issues in Alaska.

CanyonMan

08-24-2010, 07:06

I never have been able to understand why some hikers are not armed when they are in the field. S&W makes a nice little 11 oz. .22 Kit Gun that would sure be better than no gun at all. If you are not a gun person at least carry a folding combat type knife or better yet a good sheath knife or both. Bear spray is pretty easy to purchase as well. How many times have you read about a hiker trying to save his bacon with a stick or with rocks? As far as a 9mm goes I know for a fact that the 115 grain Fiocchi FMJ will shoot through 7 to 8 inches of spruce wood. I would think a load like this would go right on through a black bears skull. When we first moved to AK. from D.C. in 1965 my father started taking us on hikes. When my fathers boss found out he sat my father down and suggested he buy a gun to take on our hikes. Back then it was pretty hard to find a 44 Magnum in our area so he ended up with a 6 inch Colt Python 357 Magnum and a 300 Weatherby Magnum. I still have one of his Pythons and the German made Weatherby.

AK,

I finally looked up where your at there in Homer, AK. You are in some very beautiful and serious country there amigo ! Very nice.